The first of 45 QantasLink turboprop aircraft to be upgraded with a refreshed interior took to the skies Tuesday from the airline’s regional maintenance hub in rural New South Wales.
Customers on a Bombardier Q300 operating a Tamworth-Sydney flight were the first to experience the new interior, which includes ergonomic seat cushioning, leather upholstery, tablet device holders, a refreshed color palette of greys and charcoals and new floor coverings.
QantasLink estimates the refurbishing will take 12,000 square metres of leather, 35,000 square metres of Velcro and 80 cubic metres of foam.
The Q300 was also repainted with the airline’s updated Kangaroo logo and is named ‘Birdsville’ as part of an initiative promoting destinations around regional Australia.
The multi-million-dollar upgrade of the airline’s Q200, Q300 and Q400 fleet is expected to be completed by the end of 2019.
The airline said each turboprop aircraft took about 10 days to upgrade and involved up to 13 engineers and project support staff.
The work was timed to coincide with scheduled maintenance and closely aligned the turboprop interiors with those in the QantasLink jet fleet.
“Our turboprop aircraft are a significant part of our network and we’re committed to investing in product and service for regional Australia,” QantasLink chief executive John Gissing said.
“We look forward to welcoming our regional travelers onboard our upgraded turboprop aircraft and offering them a better inflight experience.”
The airline has three 36-seat Q200s, 11 50-seat Q300s and 31 74-seat Q400s.
They operate on regional routes in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory, Tasmania and South Australia.
Tamworth is among nine regional centers recently named by the Qantas Group as potential sites for a new pilot academy expected to open in 2019.
READ Qantas names short list for pilot academy.
The other contenders are Wagga Wagga and Dubbo in New South Wales; Toowoomba and Mackay in Queensland; Busselton in Western Australia; Bendigo in Victoria; Alice Springs in the Northern Territory; and Launceston in Tasmania.
